Description Over twenty years ago on Long Boat Key, Florida, I observed a wild flock of parakeets (Budgerigars) chattering and squawking loudly in a kumquat tree as the sun was setting. Since that time I have seen these wonderful birds flying wild throughout many areas in Florida and I always enjoy creating artwork that feature these amazing birds.

I.M. Spadecaller, Tampa BayMember Since March 2010Artist Statement Matthew Schwartz (AKA Spadecaller) is a grateful survivor who conveys his deepest passions, convictions, and serenity through visual art, poetry, and video.

As a child, he was formally trained in traditional oil techniques and later attended The School of Visual Arts in New York City (1970-71). During the 70's up until the late 80's he exhibited acrylic and oils in Montreal and New York, and presently resides on the west coast of Florida.

Since the advent of image editing software, he has turned more to creative digital hand painted images and photos striving to fuse these into an art form worthy of the distinction traditional painters deserve.

Using HD videos formats, he showcase his digital paintings, poetry, other mixed media images; these are available for viewing at: http://www.youtube.com/user/Thespadecaller.